Process of making alloys.



T oFFio- EDWARD J). GLEASON, on FLATBUSH, NEW YORK, assre voa- 'ro 310mm: is. KING, or

. BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. J

rnoc'nss or'maxmo'amoys.

Specification of Letters Patent. 5 Patented Mar. 23 1915 m'nrawin Application filed Jul 18,1911, Serial No.-639,18 6- Renewed ma 19 -1912. Serial No. 391,081.

To all whom a: may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. GLEAsoN, of Flatbush, in the State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of Making Alloys, Where-- of the followingis a specification. 7 It is the object of my invention to providean alloy which has the ductility, brilliancy, durability, and capacity for resisting oxidation which'is characteristic of sterling silver and may be employed in electrometallurgy as asubstitute for that metal.

In the ordinary process of making an elec-' I trolyte for electroplating with fine silver, 2.

fused nitrate of silver ismade said nitrate is, precipitated as a'chlorid and the chlorid dissolved in a solution of potassium cyanid,

to form an electrolytic solution, and the latter requires an anode-of silver. Therefore, it may be noted that the alloy of silver and cadmium, produced as hereinafter described, may be advantageously employed for the purposes herein contemplated, because it'is not only much less costly than the silver for which it forms a commercial substitute,rbut is more readily and'cheaply reduced to an electrolyticsolution for, as hereinafter described, the nitrate of said alloy is directly soluble in water without the employment of.

acids or precipitation as chlorid, and, the electrolyte formed ofs'aid alloy may be decomposed and maintained by the employment of an anode of said alloy. 1

In accordance with my inventiona definite quantity of silver is fused, and, being covered with powdered borax said moltenmass is heated to approximately the boiling point of silver, the lproper temperature bemg indicated by s ght ebullition of the mass. Fragments of cadmium are then added to the molten silver while the latter is agitated; care being taken to introduce the cadmium as quickly as possible beneath the covering of borax. It may be observed that if the silver is not agitated while the cadmium'is being mixed therewith, a button of silver is formed at the bottom of the mass. Moreover, if the borax covering is insuflicient or the cadmium rojects therethrough, a. large percentage 0 the cadmium is lost by fuming.

I find that a satisfactory alloy for the puroses herein contem lated may be made om less than 65% 0? silver and more than 35% of cadmium, for instance, from of silver and 45% of cadmium.

The molten alloy, made'as above described, 7

may then be cast inaningot, comminuted and reduced to nitrate. I For instance, one :part of said alloy may be dissolved in two parts. of chemically pure nitric acid. To

this solution, one ounce of potassium nitrate may be added and the mixture subjected to the action of a slow fire until all excess of the acid is evaporated. The molten mass being thencooled, the'product is a cake of hard white fusednitrate, double the weight of the alloy employed and freefrom acid, and

readily soluble in hot'water and slowly in cold water. In order to form an electrolyte from said nitrate; three ounces of the latter may be directly dissolved in two quarts of hot water, and, four ounces of the salt of potassium cyanid' being separately dissolved in two quarts of-water, the two solutions, each consisting of two quarts of Water, may be-mixed, forming one. gallon of electrolyte which is translucent and free from sediment.

A piece of "bright copper dipped in, said electrolyte, for a few seconds, will have deposited thereon a uniform coating of an alby of silver and cadmium of the original proportions, and having the aforesaid characteristics of a fine silver"coating. How ever, I prefer to employ for the decomposition and maintenance of the electrolyte an anode formed of said alloy as above deprocedure hereinbefore described, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim 1. The herein described process of making a ductile alloy, which consists in heating silver to approximately its boiling point; and then adding cadmium to the molten silver under a covering which limits the fuming of the cadmium while the two metals are beinga ductile alloy, which consists in heating silto the molten silver, in the asaoie ver to approximately its boiling point; then adding cadmium to the molten silver, under a covering of a fluxing medium; and, maintaining the molten mass in a state of agitation while the two metals are being mixed.

5. A ductile alloy containing 55% of silver and 45% of cadmium.

6. A ductile alloy consisting of less than 65% of silver and more than 35% of cadmium.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this twenty-seventh day of June, 1911.

EDWARD D. GLJEASON.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR E. PAIGE, Jno. R. WATTS. 

